Sunday, December 16, 2012

Deck the Halls

The romantic in me always envisions Christmas wrapped in vintage baubles, glittery treasures collected over the years, and sweet finds from the back alleys of vintage antique markets. I love mixing it all up with my own treasured French family heirlooms, and beautiful gifts from dear friends.

I like the angelic look. I like overflowing buckets of crystals from classic chandeliers. I like old and worn pieces of petite periwinkle garlands. I like how Santa announces his presence, tucked behind miniature glittered trees. I like velvet and satin, mirrors and reflections, figurines and vitrines. I like teal and silver; distressed mercury glass, and the cool shades of faded German glass glitter.

I like dreaming of snow... here in California... here in my home.


I like Noel!






























This lady in waiting and I wish you the loveliest of holidays.

 ~ be surrounded by love ~

As you know... it's good for the soul.




Sunday, December 9, 2012

Autumn in the Bay Area


In the San Francisco Bay Area, autumn has definitely set in, with the winter chill not far away. Rains have been abundant; skies have been ominous; creeks have overflown; leaves have been billowing high. As I await a few rays of morning light to capture the Christmas vignettes I have staged around my home; I offer this moody set of black and white photographs, reminiscent of the long lost days of pinhole cameras. Taken just a few weeks ago before major storms hit the area, I drove by the same spot a week ago; only to find just a few rusty leaves precariously holding on for dear life to their nude branches.

Once again, I turn to the poetry and writings of Rainer Maria Rilke...















Autumn, from the Book of Images by Rainer Maria Rilke

Leaves are falling, falling as if from afar,
as if, far off in the heavens, gardens are wilting.
And as they fall, their gestures say "it's over".

In the night the heavy Earth is falling 
from out of all the stars into loneliness.

We all are falling. This hand here is falling.
Just look: it is in all of us. 

Yet there is one who holds this falling
with infinite tenderness in her hands.


This weekend some sun rays caught light of my living room; just wait... within days, I will have Christmas sparkling in a new light of photographic vignettes.
Santa is coming to town, and that in its own special way... is also good for the soul...
... Are you ready?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Tomales Bay ~ Point Reyes

It was in the early light of dawn that I set off a couple of weekends ago, for a day trip along the Bay Area coastline. Soon, I was within reach of bays, lagoons, lighthouses and the Pacific Ocean. As I meandered back and forth along the back roads of Point Reyes National Recreation Area, I fell in love with the mood of the sky, the mood of the stillness of the water, the mood of the dampness in the air, the mood of the heavy fog shrouding the land beyond. Gently, calmly, and ever so slowly, the fog lifted, revealing hilltops, hidden marshes, and oyster farms tucked just shy of the water's edge...


Quiet beaches and short hikes beckoned. Freshly harvested Tomales Bay oysters, local artisan cheeses, rustic country breads and Sonoma Valley wines replenished me.



















And like each time I wander off on these solo day trips, I returned home renewed and invigorated.
Clearly, it is good for the soul.